I've been spending some time looking at mashup sites. This is the first time I have heard of such a term, although I have used some of these before when I have been surfing the Internet. One mashup that caught my attention is the Mosaic Maker.
The Mosaic Maker can easily be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. In all of the units that I teach, I work to include important scientists that contributed to that field. We want students to understand the lives of the people and how their ideas shaped our scientific knowledge. The Mosaic Maker can be used to gather and assemble and display pictures related to a specific topic in our units.
Another mashup that can be useful and fun is the trading card maker. Students can create "Scientists Trading Cards," as we go through our units of study. Students can win cards and trade them with each other. Like this, we create excitement about science, and the students can learn about scientists at the same time. I am looking forward to implementing this fun tool in my classroom this coming fall.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Thing #5 Response
Today, I looked at the Flicker website. It has some wonderful tools! We had looked at this site previously at a school training, so I have been playing it with it for about a week, and getting more used to searching and looking for exactly what I need. The tags are definitely helpful, and I was able to find and upload some pictures for my units of study. I located some great pictures related to chemistry including the one above. Isn't the light beautiful? I think that chemistry is beautiful.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Curriculum Connection Idea #1
Idea #1: A blog is an excellent forum for discussion of issues. Create one for the next school, local, state, or national election and discuss the issues of the day.
As I sit in my San Francisco hotel, the TV is announcing that Barack Obama has clinched enough delegates to earn the nomination for the Democratic party. I find this to be a very exciting time in our country, and I certainly have been closely following the elections. I am glad that many more people are taking an interest in this election, and participation in the political process has increased. I hope that the interest translates into Americans asking more tough questions, and demanding more from their public officials. Whatever one's political inclination, there are current issues that require our attention and more importantly, our action! This time is exciting, and I am glad to be living through it. I tink that our students can benefit greatly from following it, and learning more about the political process. Empowerment leads to action, and I hope that our students will feel a sense of empowerment in getting involved in the political process.
As I sit in my San Francisco hotel, the TV is announcing that Barack Obama has clinched enough delegates to earn the nomination for the Democratic party. I find this to be a very exciting time in our country, and I certainly have been closely following the elections. I am glad that many more people are taking an interest in this election, and participation in the political process has increased. I hope that the interest translates into Americans asking more tough questions, and demanding more from their public officials. Whatever one's political inclination, there are current issues that require our attention and more importantly, our action! This time is exciting, and I am glad to be living through it. I tink that our students can benefit greatly from following it, and learning more about the political process. Empowerment leads to action, and I hope that our students will feel a sense of empowerment in getting involved in the political process.
Thing #4 Response
Alright, I have just submitted my information about my blog to Vaughn. I think I have all the requirements of the blog so far. I think I am getting the hang of this, bit my bit. A few days ago, my understanding of blogs was limited to political blogs. It is nice to see myself getting more and more involved in this type of online activity. I look forward to seeing my blog develop and get deeper and more involved.
Thing #3 Response
I finally finished setting up my avatar. I have to say that I had to read the directions a few times to understand how to do this. All the choices for the avatar are neat! I need to go back and look through all the pages. I've been sitting at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco with my four kids. The wireless connection is somewhat limited and the wind is blowing very, very cold! I am glad I have finished working on the avatar, and it's done. YEAH!!!! Now I would like to start responding to other people's posts. I am starting to enjoy this. :-)
Thing #2 Response
In listening to the 7 and a half habits of effective life-long learners, I gained a new perspective on what makes a life-long learner to be successful.
Easiest Habit: Teach and mentor others.
The easiest habit for me to put in place is that of teaching and mentoring others. As a career, I teach and educate children and often times, I also involve my students' parents in the path of their chidren's education. I've been told many times that I am a natural teacher, so I think that this habit comes very naturally for me. I am also the mother of four, so I am always trying to set examples and to guide and mentor.
Most Difficult Habit: View every obstacle as a challenge
I must say that I don't find that my life has had many challenges. At least, I don't feel like things have been challenging for me. My parents always taught me to accept whatever life deals to you, and to go with it. Yes, we all have obstacles at one point or another, but how we face them, and what type of attitude we have is what makes us who we are.
Easiest Habit: Teach and mentor others.
The easiest habit for me to put in place is that of teaching and mentoring others. As a career, I teach and educate children and often times, I also involve my students' parents in the path of their chidren's education. I've been told many times that I am a natural teacher, so I think that this habit comes very naturally for me. I am also the mother of four, so I am always trying to set examples and to guide and mentor.
Most Difficult Habit: View every obstacle as a challenge
I must say that I don't find that my life has had many challenges. At least, I don't feel like things have been challenging for me. My parents always taught me to accept whatever life deals to you, and to go with it. Yes, we all have obstacles at one point or another, but how we face them, and what type of attitude we have is what makes us who we are.
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